An Unknowing Rival
by onethousandillusions
Summary: The Hero of Ferelden has gone off on a quest of her own during the Breach: to find a cure to the Calling. What she had not understood upon taking up this quest was that Corypheus would not suffer even an unknowing rival.
1. Chapter 1: Bated Breath

Although the Inquisitor had only known Alistair for the better part of a week, she could still recognize the nervous pacing on the battlements. She often found the Commander doing the same thing the day before she left on campaigns, a subtle worry in the form of body language. The Grey Warden had been contemplating something for several hours since he relinquished the contact information of the Hero of Ferelden.

From behind her, the young mage heard a small humorless chuckle. She didn't have to turn around to see who it was, she was in the rookery, surrounded by crows, after all. Lelianna leaned against the opposite side of the window, following Andromeda Trevelyan's gaze.

"He worries about her," She explained, "Constantly. I don't think they've ever been apart this long, even during the fifth blight."

Andromeda turned her attention to the spy master, her curiosity caught like a butterfly in a net. Lelianna hardly ever spoke about the Hero of Ferelden, or the fifth blight. Even if she did talk about it, the events were mostly vague and lacked the detail that a bard would usually spin into such a fantastical story. Before the destruction of Haven, Andromeda had often wondered what Lelianna had been like before or during the fifth blight. She had heard from so many people that she was changed by the events, but Andromeda Trevelyan had only ever known the cold Left Hand of the Divine.

"She's the Hero of Ferelden. What's there to worry about," She asked cautiously.

"If you knew her, you'd know that there'd be plenty to worry about," This time, Lelianna's laugh seemed more relaxed, amused even. "Orion always had a talent for getting herself into dangerous situations, intentional or not."

Persephone gave a small laugh in reply, knowing the feeling. It felt as though even if she were only heading out into the field to gather a minuscule amount of supplies, that she would always stumble across a Venatori assassination plot or red lyrium smuggling.

"We've sent out the messengers to find her. If we're lucky, we should find our dearest Cousland within the next couple of days. Perhaps, hearing from her will set his nerves at ease," The spy master updated. "I worry too, though. If Corypheus is using the Calling to his advantage, I can't imagine he wouldn't see her attempts to cure the Wardens of it as a threat."

Andromeda nodded gravely, mimicking the darkspawn Magister, "_'I will not suffer even an unknowing rival.'_" She did not doubt that these thoughts were what was plaguing the warden on the battlements.

Lelianna shuffled away from the wall, moving towards her desk, shuffling through seemingly random reports. Looking a bit closer, Andromeda could tell they were reports on Red Templar movements and the small amount of Venatori activity that the Inquisition had uncovered.

"Unfortunately, our dearest Warden does not have strength of spies, armies, and diplomats to protect her quite yet. She will have to hold her own until we find her," Lelianna cracked a small smile, "If she'll even let us offer her protection that is."

* * *

AN: Hey guys. So I've been playing Inquisition non-stop, and while my canon story involves Cousland and Alistair becoming King and Queen, I realized that their cameos in Inquisition have a lot more presence if you keep them as Wardens, even if its heartbreaking. So, I'm doing a sort-of AU for my canon universe where they stayed Wardens, and definite Dragon Age AU, where Hawke's Warden friends are both Stroud and Alistair. Because I can't make tough decisions for fanfiction purposes. Besides, it's not like if Alistair stayed a Warden, Stroud would have never existed, right? Right? /excuses excuses/

Also just a quick update on Canticle of the Broken: I'm still working on it. I just haven't had a lot of time since originally posting it to update. It's not abandoned, I swear!


	2. Chapter 2: Radio Silence

Surprisingly, The Inquisition received a reply from the Hero of Ferelden in a matter of days. Alistair's contact information had been recent and reliable, and why he didn't just send a letter to her himself to quench his unending worry baffled the Inquisitor to no end.

In the bundle of letters that the Hero sent back, only one was actually addressed to the Inquisition as a whole. There was one specifically for Alistair, one for Lelianna, and one for Morrigan. It had likely been quite some time since she had spoken to any member of her old team. Andromeda couldn't imagine being life apart from her quirky inner circle. It made the Hero seem more like a person than a legend to have to hand out her personal letters individually.

Josephine read the Hero's official letter aloud during the War Table meeting. From what the Inquisitor and her advisors could garner from the letter, the Warden was following a very promising lead far to the west, and had met little resistance. She was not even aware of the situation involving Venatori or Red Templars, which was either very good news or very bad news. She assured the Inquisition that she would be on high alert for any agents of Corypheus on her quest, politely declining offers of protection, as Lelianna had predicted. She explained that if she was to remain unnoticed, it was a much better idea to remain on her quest alone. The Inquisitor couldn't help but agree. If the Hero of Ferelden could remain elusive to Corypheus in her efforts, she may be able to stop this madness with the Grey Wardens before it even starts.

Lelianna had read her personal letter to herself once, then to the Inquisitor out loud after the War Table meeting had ended. The letter had been mostly pleasantries from what Andromeda understood. If it weren't the fact that Andromeda knew that the Hero came from a noble background, she would have wondered how she could have possibly made a four page letter with such formalities. Nevertheless, Lelianna seemed to brighten up at the sentiment of receiving such a letter. Perhaps, there had been more meaning behind the words in the letter than Andromeda could ever understand.

Morrigan did not open the letter in the Inquisitor's presence, nor did she expect her to. The Witch was more than a mystery to the Inquisition as a whole. The letter was personal after all.

All that remained was to deliver the final letter to Alistair.

Andromeda found the Grey Warden in the Herald's Rest, watching a very amusing battle between the Iron Bull and the Champion of Kirkwall, involving ungodly amounts of ale. How they could even handle that much of alcohol was beyond the Inquisitor. What surprised her even more, was that the Champion was actually beating the Qunari. She was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Alistair was sitting a few tables away from the festivities, along with his fellow warden, Stroud. Both seem amused by the revelry , if not a bit confused. Andromeda pulled up a chair and joined the wardens.

"Not used to stuff like this, I assume?"

The Wardens looked at each other and laughed heartily. Stroud looked back towards the contest, where the Chargers were now trying to psych up their fearless leader to take another glass. He couldn't lose to a tiny human mage, after all.

"We see a lot more of this than you would think," The Orlesian man remarked, "The Grey Wardens love their drink when they're allowed them."

Andromeda couldn't imagine the legendary organization sitting in circles trying to out-drink the other, but then again, those outside the Inquisition probably couldn't imagine the soldiers doing the same thing on their down time.

"Anyway, you came to see us for a reason," Alistair remarked, "What did you need?"

"Oh, nothing requiring immediate attention. Just thought you might want to know that we've received word back from the Hero of Ferelden," Andromeda smiled softly, as she captured Alistair's full attention. Stroud looked between the two and sighed.

"I should probably stop the Champion before she burns something down by accident. I have a feeling the dwarf won't try to stop her."

And with that, Alistair and Andromeda were left alone to discuss. Andromeda recounted the Hero's letter as much as she could, ensuring him that she had not met resistance and that as far as anyone knew, Corypheus had not set his sights on her yet.

"There's one more thing. She's written a letter for you," Andromeda handed over the sealed letter. Alistair clutched at it like a lifeline, and once again she felt the annoyance surface about their lack of contact. Cullen and Andromeda constantly wrote letters once she left Skyhold, so why didn't these two? She had to ask. "Why don't you write each other more often?"

Alistair caressed the letter, leaving it unopened for a couple of seconds.

"I wish we could. We did, at first," He explained, "But when Stroud and I started to actively oppose Clarel's actions, I was too afraid that they might try to track Orion down too. I suppose, it's probably a good thing that I didn't. If the Wardens are involved with Corypheus, I could never forgive myself if I got her killed. It's been six months since I've last heard from her."

"And yet you trusted us to contact her?"

"I trust Lelianna to not leave a trail. I may have known her when she was only a lay sister, but trust me when I say her skills were terrifying regardless."

Alistair ripped the letter open, reading it closely, carefully. Andromeda knew that he was trying to absorb everything he could from the letter, just as she would when receiving one from Cullen. It surprised her how much of herself and Cullen she saw in the Grey Warden. What surprised her even more though, was the lack of pages Alistair's letter had. Only one. Still, Alistair looked at it as if it was just enough to get him through next couple days. A lifeline.

He sighed, breath shaky when he finished.

"She's okay for now. Maker's breath, I miss that woman."


End file.
